Impacted earwax, begone!

[Slater]

This thread may sound silly to some.

For years, I've had impacted earwax in my left ear. I never got around to telling my doctor about it because there were bigger problems with my body (asthma, chronic heartburn, and the combo of which that made me terribly ill at one point).

Anyhow, I recently saw that there were special eardrops that are supposed to remove excess earwax without the use of those sharp and potential painful tools that a doctor uses. So I tried it, and... nothing... it hardly worked; it just made funny noises in my ear and sometimes induced pain when I tried flushing the stuff out.

Over time, the situation got worse and worse; at times, the hearing in my left ear would essentially disappear completely, and sometimes I would get terrible pain and vertigo from even slight changes in pressure (such as due to being in an airplane). Well, today I sat down and was tinkering with stuff, and I decided to read the instructions on the eardrop bottle (funny how that's always the last thing we do). Turns out, I was doing one thing wrong; I wasn't using hot water to irrigate my ear. So, I tried again, and within 2 30-minute treatments, I felt the sollution reach my eardrum.

What a sensation, nerves that haven't been stimulated in years, suddenly being tickled by this weird, almost soda-like substance. It was almost tortuous to have to sit through it for more than 5 minutes, without irrigating my ear ahead of schedule.

All the pain is gone, and I can now hear better and clearer than I've been able to hear in years. Like I said, it sounds silly, but you really don't appreciate something like stereo hearing til it's gone, I've found out. God gave us a wonderful array of senses, and I'm thankful to Him that this situation didn't end up being permanent (tho I may need to keep the treatment up until the sensitive nerves inside my ear readjust to their "new" environment, since they could trigger increased ear-wax production).

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Oh wow. I've had that problem myself, though not for so long. Still, it doesn't sound silly at all to me! Praise God!

[Radical Dreamer]

Actually, yeah, this is something I've dealt with, too. XD While the eardrops work sometimes, I suggest getting your ears irrigated by your doctor. It's a fairly quick and painless process, and it helps a lot. I was basically unable to hear out of my left ear on Wednesday, until I went to the doctor that afternoon and had my ears irrigated (and now I discover that I type really loudly XD). The ear drops are probably better for buildup that hasn't been there for too long, but I'm glad it worked for you!

[Danderson]

That is pretty amazing.....While I've never had ear wax build-up that bad, it's gotten pretty stuffed over the years...I'd suggest cleaning them regularly, with a cu-tip even if you don't feel anything (which is some advice I should take more often)....

[Radical Dreamer]

That is pretty amazing.....While I've never had ear wax build-up that bad, it's gotten pretty stuffed over the years...I'd suggest cleaning them regularly, with a cu-tip even if you don't feel anything (which is some advice I should take more often)....

Actually, and this is coming from my doctor, q-tips really only make it worse, as they tend to shove it down in there even farther. Just a word to the wise. XD

[K. Ayato]

Or you could trickle some hydrogen peroxide, and then use a Q-tip to scoop it out. Sounds gross, but personally speaking, I have been able to remove build-up that way. Just go easy on the hydrogen peroxide, 'cause once it kicks in, it doesn't stop.

[Slater]

While it is possible to propperly clean ears with a q-tip, it requires great care and patience and still involves risks. And it's a waste of cotton. I prefer the little bulb thing that you fill with water and squirt into the mid-ear. The warmth softens the wax up more than it is, and the water pressure is (when propperly done) great enough to knock the earwax loose without damaging the ear.

[ShiroiHikari]

Actually, and this is coming from my doctor, q-tips really only make it worse, as they tend to shove it down in there even farther. Just a word to the wise. XD

I was gonna say the same thing. XD

I'm probably kinda stupid, but I use a bobby pin to get the gunk out of my ears after I get out of the shower. I'm always really careful though. >_>;